the president and speaker have taken no concrete steps to resolvthe so-alled fiscal cliff. president obama remains insistent that republicans yields to his ultimatum thahe be allowed to raise taxes on those making more than $250,000 a year. republicans for their part

insist that the president gets serious about cutting spending in order to reducetrillion dollar deficits and a natonal debt that is nw mind-boggling league not -- monotonous. house minority leader disagrees vehemently with the speaker on how to reduce deficits and debt. today she offered a paradoxical statement on scal policy that wouldake both casey stieel and yogi berra proud. the nation now just 24 days away from $600 billion of spending cuts and tax increases that will automatically kicked in. and pelosi has some wise words for washington. please listen terror. >> this is a mment of truth. the clock is ticking. christmas is coming. the goose is getting fat. in many homes across america it is very, very lean times. you cannot cut your way to deficit reduction. lou: that's right. pelosi says we cannot get our way to deficit reducti.

listen to the top democrat in the house of epresentatives, the former speaker of the hous unveiling -- on dealing with the fiscal crisis one more time. >> in many homes across america ad is a very, ver lean time. you cannot cut your way to deficit reduction. lou: today said nority leader appeared to be trying to outperform policy and the political rhetoric of the absurd . senator reid's reason to be wary ofeducing spending. >> the european community now is concerned about all the austerity. there are many, my things you can do to reduce debt but still have a stimulus aspect of the economy. >> that -- lou: the sete's top democrat believes we should return to europe for inspiration and guance for fisal policy, taking greece, perhaps, as a standard for dealing with

economic and budget crises. the speaker did a charge the president is slow walking th nation to the brink of a fiscal cliff. that is one of the speakers firmest in the strongest statements yet. >> this is in a progress report because there is no progress to report. the white house has wated another week. there are a lot of things that are possible to put the revenue on the table, but none of it is going to be possible. the president insists on his position. insists on my way or the highway. lou: inconveniently the congressional budget office today reported that the federal deficit is already bulging. the cbo reports for the first two months of fiscal 2013 that number $2,902,00000,000, $57 billion more than the same two month time span last year. and the labor department today reported the unemployment rate fell to the 77%. good news, the lowest jobless

rate in four years. the lower unemployment rate, however, the consequence of the more than 300,000 people who dropped t of the work force altogether just last month. when counting the uderemployed and those who have given up their search for wrk, the real unemployment rate amounts to a 14th 4%. my next guest says the obama administration is punishing job producers and subsidizing a withdrawal from the work force. joining us now, one of the country's most thoughtful, provocative political an economic tinkers, author george gilder who wrote the best seller, wealth and poverty, and a seminal rk in it is great to have you with us. somepeople upon closer inspection, it is not good news and people are leaving the work force. >> it sure isn't. we are paying people to leave the workforce. some $1 trillion offpayments of

various kinds to keep people from working and to break up their families and to demoralize their earnest. it is -- it ignores the elephant in the room which is a massiveve depaure of the prime age man from the work force. it is accelerating today. and part of this is being subsidiz by the government through record disability payments. lou: disabilit payments from social security administration, taking thaaside when one looks at food stamps and medicaid alone, you can add other incentives as well and support programs, but we are looking at the prospect of having one in the quarter workers for every one person on welfare and working the governnt. we are reaching a dangerous, dangerous to pinpoint in this country, and e have nancy pelosi, the minority leader

saying that you cannot cut your way to deficit reduction. mind-boggling. >> it is mind-boggling. after the second world war we cut our government spending by 60 percent. the economy boomed. we cut ourselves all the way into a big surplus. israel was in a catastrophic crisis in the mid 80's. it cut its way drastical to a surplus. lou: this country has a long history. >> and new zealand. lou: this country, if we can be parochial allotted for a moment, we can learn from our own experience. it is pretty clear that when we talk about, as this administration has, returning to a clintonnera tax rates, it would be a wonderful boon if we were to be able to also return to the balanced budgets of the clinton years, if we could return to the trillion dollar peace dividend that the bush years left on the doorstep of the clinton years.

but none of that is ever examined. also, we also are the beneficiaries of a massive technology bubble and the markets. >> plants and reduced the capital gains tax by 30 percent. he increased the income tax by 10%, but the hugesurge in revenues under clinton came through the capital gains tax cut, not from the income-tax increase. lou: you and i have done what the republicans, perhaps too often. we talk about the economics of it, the theoryf it, if you will, the extraction of it, but but the reality is the republican party has not come up with a rejoinder, a response to a, if you will, a socialist redistributionist president wh right now claims the field is on because there is no other

standard flying over hat field. there is a speaker of the house to is simply saying, this is not right. you know, we are not at the table and complaining, but not, not engaging. >> i think we have got to engage the argument. we cann win the argument while acknowledging that an increase in tax rates would increase revenues and all. it will just today the top 1 percent are paying about 40 percent of the income tax. the top 5 percent are paying 87% of the income tax. it does not get any better than that. this is nder the bush tax rates. you eliminate those tax rates an you will get less revenues, more capitol flight from the united states. we have the fir net capital flight in decades. more departure of high-tech immigrants from the united

states returning home to china. lou: democrats to feed the stamp act, science, technology, engiering, and mathematics. immigrants into this country who deserve it and to we desperately want to have your while we throw open our borders and our airports to people who are, for the most part, the majority of those illegal immigrants are not even high-school educated, lacks skills, like education. my go. and they do so rejecting that law, that bill and prevent it from becoming law because they want to have a lotte. for crying out loud. the absurditiompound themselves. >> in general we have to recognize that the individual entrepreneur with special skills and contributions to american produce all the jobs, and they are the ones who are getting rich, who are punished by any increase in marginal tax rates. the already rich -- lou: what about the young man

woman in this country who is not an entrepreneur, is not a big shot, is not in middle management in a big corporation. theyon a break. they won an opportunity. they want to live the american dream. why can't the publicans talk to hem? >> i hink that they are being talked to. a great speech the other day in which he spcifically addressed this aspiration, widespread among all americans to rise up. this is what supply-side economics is. it is surge of economics. it is not trickle-down as some people caricatured. lou: you have heard that expression for 30 years. >> i never said it. lou: i'm amazed to hear the phrase escape ... but you mentionone senator, and a very god one. probably one of the very best in the republicancommunicators. why isn't a party organized around that very ide and that

message and have a coherent campaign for the ar and minds of those who have the most benefit? >> they get assimilated by waington. the washington culture is than talking the language of big government, and i is a deadly, demoralizing language. echoes the demoralization of the media and the -- lou: let's raise somehell, george. let's raise some hell and get me people focused on the right things here. alwa great to talk to you. >>hank you. lou: george gider. much mor on the fiscacliff and the republican messaging, if you can call it that, perhaps tonight's broadcast. heegyptians revolting against the brotherhood. syria apparently mixing chemical weapons. the foundation for defense of democry joins us he in moments. the unemploymt rate drops. so did the number of worers in

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♪ lou: house speaker boehner says the president is slow walking our economy to the fiscal cliff. former reagan white house counsel, financial criis inquiry commission member peter wallace will join me here in just moments. let's take a look at tonight's "moneyline." the dow and s&p managing gins. the nasdaq weighed down by another ba day for apple and its investors. the dow up 81 points. s&p up four, the nasdaq fell leaven. just over 3 billion shares traded on the big board today.

the dow up 1%, s&p slightly higher making three straight weeks of wins. the nasdaq down 1% for its first losing week of the past three. apple investors are having a rough time with the dow down. the stock down 9 percent this week. but even with that selling, the stock remains up 30% year-to-date. wall street analysts say much of the selling can be explained by investors looking to avoid possibly having to pay gains on the sale of that stock at a higher rate next year. others simply taking profits. financial stocks strog. today j.p. morgan chase led the weight. news that it is expanding the numbers of its branch offices. research shows consumes have to walk into an office to do there banking. he knew that? bank of america also higher. two separate reports showed two very different spects of consumer behavior. consumer debt soaring

$14 billion. the third straight month of gains. and the latest reading on consumer confidence shows confidence declining. phar-mor sharply than had been expect by most economists. my next guest is concerned that we are going over the fiscal cliff. he ys, president obama seeminglyis intent onpressing his post-election advantage to win tax increases on the wlthy and to eliminate the houses debt ceiling leveraged. joining us now from washington d.c., peter wallace, former reagan white house counsel, form member of thefinancial crisis inquiry commission. a senior fellow at the american enterprise institute. good to have you here. you believe they're going over the cliff. >> i think their is a re danger of this. one can see a path for obaaa that does not look so terrible if we do go over the cliff. all of the taxes go up, but the democrats have an opportunity to introduce legislation to reduce the taxes for 98 percent of the

people leaving the wealthier people, i guess you could call them wealthy, the top two percentage to stay at the high rates. it is possible to do this. lou: it is possible, but i have to ask you, urely the republicans have to understand and had to understand six months ago what what transpired in this lame dk sessi of conress? what this president would ess forward to. the fiscal cliff, the result of sequestration and agreements between the two parties, capitol hill and the white house. why would they not have thought out a position here? >> you know, one of the things that puzzles me about this is, even today the debate that the republicans are engaged in is really a debate with themselves. the media talks about the tax increases. that is almost all the talk about. and the only thing that makes sense to the republican is to try to get some serious control

over the entitlements. that is why they're in this game. and yet you hear vry little from the republicans. you would think that the speaker would get out and say, look, we are ready to talk about -- we are ready to talk about new revenue, but i am not going to even get into that issue until the president moves his party. we know what the problem is. the democrats don't want to talk an entitlement reductions in all. the republicans don't want to talk about taxes. but the real issues fcing this country, controlling spending, not raising taxes. lou: not according to nancy pelosi. i don't know if you saw. we reported u the top. >> i didn't. lou: the minority leader actually said, you cannot cut your way to deficit reduction. i mean, this is the kind of mentality that speaker boehner must confront and deal with. one would think that wold be a winner fr him, but apparently

not. >> i'm saying i am puzzled by the fact that he does not emphasize that much more andd3 really say, i'm not going to talk but taxes. taxes is not on the table until the president comes forward with the plan on entitlements. lou: you are a formidable negotiator in your own right, experience, and i just want to ask you. why would anyone who is the leader ofhe republican party, frankly in a position, not insist upon dealing with the president who has the superior power, the superior position and advantage, not insist that any negotiation be at a specific table with specific parameters and in the -- end this nonsense that is at the periphery in permeate -- permeating the media >> that's right. well, the president, and this is one of the reasons why th esident may take us over the cliff. because i think he believes that he can get everything he wants by taking it right to the end

and, perhaps, over the edge. he has the big megaphone of the presidency. you can see what happens when he does anything. it's covered in the newspapers and on television. he is getting his point across, and he is keepg -- he is keeping the conversation about tax increases and whether the republicans, relatively minr tax increases, and keeping the conversation away from the major question which is how we control the out of control entitment spending. it is an unbelievable situation for republicans, and i cannot understand why we aren't. lou: on this broadcast we never talk about the fiscal cliff without referring to the incipient cause, there rid of it all, and that is why i believe it is entirely appropriate told the president accountable for the fiscal cliff because this is the oly bullish and work here. it is this president who s decided to issue an ultimatum. fit on taxes and being raised

on nly 2 percent of the people. secondly, insisting that he debt ceiling issue be compounded with it all. this is without question an ultimatum, the consequces are his. what do you think? >> well, i am afraid that even though the consequences are his, the consequences for the economy will be his. i think he is betting, i think there is pretty good evidence right now that he is betting that he can win this argument because the media and his megaphone enable him to persuade the american people that the republics will be the case of the troubles that we will face if we go over the cliff. lou: history is littered with examples of thse to proceed and rationally so but came up against creative, energetic opposition tt found a way to prevent. it always agree -- great to talk

with you. we appreciate you being here. >> thank you. lou: a little corporate money is not so bad. he could use that, and he apparently will. we will have that story and protesters stormed the presidential palace in egypt. the government in trouble to. how much? we don't know. can the president support help in? we take it all upwith the foundation for defense of democracy here ne. democracy here ne. stay with us. the capital one cash rewards card gives you cash back on all purchases, plus a 50% annual bonus. and everyone...but her likes 50% more cash. but i'm upping my game. do you want a candy cane? yes! do you want the puppy? yes! do you want a tricycle? yes! do you want 50 percent more cash? no! ♪ festive. [ male announcer ] the capital one cash rewards card gives you 1% cash back on every purchase plus a 50% annual bonus on the cash you earn it's the card for people who like more cash. what's in your wallet?

♪ lou: breaking news. u.s. ofcials confirmed that the egyptian authorities have detained a man who has been described variously as, perhaps, an alleged ringleader of an egyptian terrorist network linked to the september 11th attack on the u.s. consulate in benghazi. the united states ambassador and three other americans were killed. also tonight, egyptian presint

urging national dialogue still, but moving forward with his referendum on anilamist back to constitution. the new york times bureau chief in cairo, david kirkpatrick insisting that the muslim brotherhood is not, and i do ," not violent by nature and have come over the last couple of decades, you off more and more into a moderate conservative but religious moderate regular old political force. well, joining us now is jonathan chancellor, former counter-terrorism analyst, current vice president of research for the foundation for defense of democracy, and it is good to have you with us. your reaction to kirkpatrick's description. >> let me first say that the brotherhood, when it was founded did have a violent army, and that was one of the reasons why the egyptian goverent ended up railroading get out of the political system. over time the brotherhood has

vowed to be a nonviolent organizations over the last several decades. -- lou: i am going to beg you for something because we're really shed f time. >> yes,. lou: if you will, was history and more in your judgment. >> sure. bottom line is that the brother is the cornerstone of every violent organization that we see up there today. and so it may not actually be foering violence itself, but it has spawned of many violent factions. lou: andin egypt your expectations as to what the course, what course will we witness taken thee? prevailing, maintaining his powers? what do you expect? >> it is hard to imagine being dislodged. he sacked all of the military that could have potentially overturn them. at this point we are hearing that the crowds are large. they see this as a zero sum gain, and it really is going to

come down to whether this secular opposition can mobilize and whether they have the tools to bring him down. it does not appear at this point that they do. lou: let's turn to syria. as you know, the secretary of state meeting with russian counterparts in ireland today saying the united states agrees with russia and backi mediation to resolve the civil war. is there movement there or is it simply the perception of a -- of movement? >> i don't buy it. the russians are jalously guarding the port of tartus where they have a significant military and financial investment in syria. they are a patron of syria. it is very unlikely of the russians are going to help dislodge this, and that is a shame, obviously, becase the syrians are loading chemical weapons. we hear dangerous reports command of syria rig now. lou: and we learn that the pen exiles, one of the exile leaders

returning to gaza today. well, not returning to, but going from which he had been banned for 45 years. your reaction? and an assessment ofits significance. >> sure. the political leader. this is seen as a victory. i'm not sure why they t him back in. but currently celebrating his 205th anniversary, and they are also celebrating what they describe as a victory over the israelis despite the fact that the israelis really dominated the battlefield during that war in gaza two weeks ago. lou: it's great to have you with us. we tnk you so much. appreciate i >> my pleare. lou: much more. we will takell of that up with the "a-team"ere next. ♪ lou: 18 days until chrisas, 24 days until the fiscal cliff. no tals on capitol hill, no talkst the white house. the president's ultimatum driving has off that cliff.

the "a-team" weighs in. michigan infamous documentarian, michael more is back, and he is angry, as always. if you plan to be part of his next movie, you had better be a union member. a low unemployment rate to a high number of nemployed. what is going on with this economy? and what happens next year? former cbo director ins us next.

♪ lou: joining us now, theformer director of the congressional budget ofice, former commissioner of the financial crisis inquiry commission, how many shows can brag that we have had two members of the commission on the same night and, as well, president of the american action form. pretend you're. >> thanks. lou: fighting words in washington. the speaker todaactually said these words.

the president has adopted a deliberate strategy to a slow walk our economy right to the edge of the fiscal cliff. are you emotionally moved? do you think the nation is galvanized? >> i don't know if the nati is galvanized in the but i will be honest to my nervous about this. i view the clippers a genuine economic threat and a ripe for recession. we heard the secretary of treasury said earlier this week that he was prepared to go over the cliff, which i found shocking as the top economic official in an administration. if that is the strategy, it is a very, very dangerous one. lou: it is clear, the speaker made a clear, he believes tha is precisely what the president wants to do and will do. as you say, it is stunning to watch the principal economic financial igures in the obama administration be leading a political negotiation rather than, if you will, minding ove an economy filled with 23 million people unemployed all

sorts of challenges at every corner from and he is now politician. it is stunning. i want to get yur comments, if i made, on something that nancy pelosi said today, which reported at the top of this broadcast. you cannot cut your way to deficit reduction. i am quoting her directly. let's try that again because you probably did not believe your years. you cannot get away t deficit reductn. your reaction? >> i'm speech was, quite frankly. i mean, if that -- if she believes that to be true, then she believes he can grow your way out of problems and there is no growth rate that is going to match te 22% projected increase in insurance subsidies under obamacare. or she believes she can taxer way out, and there is noay our economy can bear to double the federal tax levels from 18% of gdp the 36. that is what it woul take. so the reality is that the bulk of our problems during the spding, both in the near term are we have a sequester and a

nger-term where this is all about getting the entitlement programs under control. lou: gettinghe entitment programs under control seems like a distant and remote fantasy th a president who is wiing -- i mean, he has issued an ultimatum. he will be the cause of goin over t fiscal cliff. i don't know what the republican leaders cannot hang onto that thought. they will be watching him, the reaction to the ultimatum, he will be sending the country over the fiscal cliff over what will amount to 8% of -- replacement of 8 percent of the deficit for fiscal 2013. it is mindless. >> as i said, i am quite nervous about this. i listen to speaker boehner say the day after the lection, revenue is on the table. the american people want to compromise an make washington work. he said it again and put out a specific offer. all we have heard from the

president is a hard-line wasno negotiation on the tax side and not e word about the entitlement reforms that would have to match that for this plan to make any sense. and it is that absence of lead on the spending side nd unwillingness to make compromises that will actually get als done and have washington auction again that i think our marks aginst this lame-duck session. lou: you have projected, the action form has projected 10 million prospect of possibly 10 million people losing jobs, 10 percent unemployment. a 4% reduction in gdp if we go over that cliff. correct? >> that is absolutely right. i mean, this is a big tax increase. 's a big spending cut. more importantly, if you look at the debt ceiling debate, we saw a sharp drop in conser confidence and we saw hat today in te december number. a sharp drop in consumer confiden, and you also will see a big financial market disruption. those are genie's you cannot stick back in the bottle and

lead to drags in the mainstream economy. lou: always good to have you with us. thank you very much. >> thank you. lou: up ext, former ambassador, former director of national intelligence joins us here. shadowbox other, a former pacific fleet commander also among our guests. pleasee with us next week. stay wit us tonight. angry liberal and accused hypocrite michael more sticks his nose into the michigan right to work fight. can you imagine that? the "a-team"is next. ♪

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support for hiking taxes on the rich. you would think you'd have to campaign for that. the president also opposes what it -- right to work laws. maybe it is more than a coincidence that he will be in michigan. in the meantime, angry liberal michael moore's sounding off on the latest right to work developments in michigan. the filmmaker and a major meltdown on twitter writing he was enraged. he called on people to revolt. if you wite, direct, added, shoot, or do sound for me and my next movie you will nowork for me unless you belong to the union. but the thing that surprised me there is, i thought you already had to be a union membeto work on his movies. he may be hearing from a few unions themselves. georgezimmerman, the man accused of killing a flora teenager martin is suing abc news coming the network tried to portray him as a racist in order to boost ratings. zimmerman took issue with other

network editedis 911 call on the night of the shooting in february. this is what te network aired. >> this guy looks like he is up to no good. he looks blac. lou: wow. that's remarkable editing because this is what he actually said to the 911 operator. >> this guy looks like he is up to no good are on drugs or something. it's raining. walking around looking about. >> okay. white, black or hispanic? >> looks like. u: it turns out to left quite a bit out of that dialogue, and they? the lawsuit seeks an undisclosed amount of damages. nbc deni any wrongdoig. they have not apologized. critics are slamming president obama and his inauguration committee for announcing they will accept corporate money to pay for three days of festivities in january. can't ait. a reversal from the president's policies just four years ago. back then he banned corporate

donations, limit individual contributions to a ere $50,000. of course, it tossed -- cost taxpayers quite a hunk. critics say the move ges the appearance the corporate donors would get something in return for their money. it can be. up next, democrats applaung a deceptively lower unemployment rate as the fiscal clef years. the "a-team" is here next. we will be talking with them. right here next. ♪

♪ lou: joining me now, the "a-team", radio talk-show host, a pulitzer prize-winning journalist and fox is contributor. former rnc spokesperson and

columnist. good to have you all with this. let's start with this ne because in the fiscal clef nancy pelosi today, and i just have to harp on this, saying you cannot cut ur way to deficit reduction. i mean, as i said, i think yogi berra would be proud of that little paradox. >>ancy, you keeping in at. you keep thinking that. huntington butch cassidy and the sundance kid. butch cassidy, really both sides on this as we teeter toward going over the fiscal cliff. i'm like robert redford. and the sundance ki. i can swim. and the american pulic. you're going to take as always. you know what, it's amazing that theyon't seem to give a damn. i mean, they're going on chrimas break. the president in 21 days, golfing. a lawsuit, the indonesia, the island of hawaii. and maxine and relaxing while we

slid down the abyss. lou: it seems to e, sherry, as e republicans cannot quite figureut how to say, this is the president's decision. it's his ultimatum, and it's his choice. why can't they say tt? >> because there is no guarantee that it will turn out well. there is a media that will try and blame republicans no matter what. lus boehner could go in and cut a deal but he did you lose his right flank on this. starting to think it's a bette deal for the republicans to of vote present, let the president onhis completely. lo agree to raise taxes. >> now. his thi. mitch mcconnell tried to get the senate, harry reid to vote on the president's plan and harry reid said no. democrats are caling it a stunt. this is the president's plan we can raise taxes on rich and you don't have to cut spending and you can do all the things that he wants to do, and they don't nt that to come to a vote. there might be something there. i'm thking that might maybe

make him on it and let the chips fall where they make. elections haveonsequences. at that right now. lou: i think we all agree about consequences. certainly. your thoughts on this? does it looto you right now like we are going to avoid this fiscal clif? the president, but the brilliant idea? it's interestinhow he does this. he initiates an ultimatum and the goes passi aggressive on everyone and withdraws from the field. it's really a bizarre and intriguing strategy whicch obviously has completely confounded republican eaders. >> yes, and the polls show that the american people are proud and -- probably ging to blend republicans now matter what happens. lou: slightly. >> therefore i think that is what you're seeing with president obama's attitude here. lou: does irritate you to think that they are going to blame the republicans denied republicans are basically saying, you know, we are going to step back because you're going to blame us instead of coming up with an

answer, a rejoinder to the president's going after them. and they don't have a strategy. they don't have a mesage. they don't want anybody to think badly of them. >> he is back to being a community organizer. getting in their face. that's right. whether you like cannot. and then he steps back, as you said. and he sets it off, and the republicans to m who's going to handle this one. finally, the shot caller is boehner. the way he should get barack because he loves to smoke cigarettes a you know michele with thosepythons will choke him. golf with me. put your ssice. sigrid's service agent. he has that chesterfield no filters, and we will negoiate this will sme and a few paxson and a comeback. that's how they are negotiated. lou: and as he said, we will come back andontinue this negotiation in just moments. stay with us. stay with us. ♪ [ malennouncer ] it's tt time of year again.

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♪ lou: back with the a-team, and i want to turn, if i may, to george zimmerman suing nbc because of the outrageo job of editing, they did, in my opinion, outrageous, clearly, intentional. what dyou think the cnces of are prevailing? >> oh, damn good because nbc, says, oh, oh, the videographer, audio, video edit, it's, you know, he just snipped it in e wrong place. they'll blame the engineer, the video and the audio editor opsed to blaming their politics over it. lou: you agree? >> i see settlements, big time settlements, and i would settle if i were nbc. lou: what do you think? did we need a deeppeek into the interworkings of nbc news? >> well, you know, possibly.

in if he could win or lose, but it will not happen again at nbc or anywhere else after this. lou: i might want to get on the other side of that bet. there's seriously committed ideological operators in a few places that might just, you know, humorous is a hardthing to constrain. the supreme court taking up the cases the defense ofairmings act, proposition eight, and there's a supreme court decision on gay marriage. >> let's go for . most of those judges are married. if they determine tt gays and lesbians should suffer like the rest of us heterosexuals who should be married. i fell in love, marryhem, and they kick me to the curb. yohave a right to suffer too, across the nation. lou: on board with the convention? >> well, i don't know, look,

what this does is give social conservativethe fight they want, and the plat tomorrow -- platform they want to air this, and so, for them, they look at this as a good thing bcause it's a fight they wanted for some time. other people might not like it very much, but people who feel strongly on either side, both sides,ment this fight. -- want this might. many in the middle rather we not deal witit. it will be interesting. lou: a lot of folks in the country who don't want to dea with any issue of my kind, but this presents itself to the supreme court. your thoughts on it, judy? important enough in your judgment to see a quick decision by the court? >> well, apart from being the divorce lawyers full employment act, apart from there, i think the course could choose a narrow proceed interpretatn. they may decide just some things with respect to the california law. i'm not sure the court wantso

tackle t issue because it is contrrversial right now. lou: is our shannon pointed out, taking on proposition 8 and the defense of marriage act. it looks like it might be a little broader than we might have expected. >> it could be, but they have narrowed a broad, potentially broad, decision before. you have two swing justices re. the chief justice and, you know, obviously, the other guy that everybody's watching, but i don't think you can predict this one. adam, a really well-respected legal scholars, thinks they would narrow it,nd i suspect he's right. lou: going through a lot of trouble, creating controversy and hoopla for just a little thing. you know, it's the day of big issues and little results. >> you got to love it. when it comes to love and marriage, they have the urge to merge on the supreme court, merging them together. we love that. lou: very quickly